Utility

Sources in the Raytown School District stated that the call for ambulance services went out at 7:12 and that video footage show the arrival of the ambulance at 7:27. By doing the math, and deducting the 7 minutes response time, we have 8 minutes for dispatch to take the call and relay it to a Raytown EMS unit.

Raytown broke a long loosing streak against rival Raytown South with a decisive 35 to 14 win on Friday.

RaytownOnline.com received multiple calls about the game, but not about the score. The calls were about the amount of time it took an ambulance to take an injured Raytown High player away for medical attention.

One call claimed it took 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive, but research indicates that was not the case, closer to 20 minutes was the actual amount of time that passed. The injury took place 3 minutes into the game. The game started at 7:00 pm. Given this, the probable time of the injury was between 7:04 and 7:08, depending on how much time passed with the game clock not running.

Photos received from people attending the game show the ambulance at 7:28 pm. (see below)

Sources at Raytown City Hall report that the EMS log indicates a 7 minute response time. What is not known is how long it took the coaching staff to decide to call an ambulance. Requests to the School District for this information have yet to be responded to.

Normally 911 calls would be routed to the Raytown Police Dept. dispatch and they relay this to the EMS unit. Normally this would also be relayed to the Raytown Fire District and they also would respond. Sources in the Raytown Fire District have no record of a call coming in on this incident.

DOROTHY TUCKER ROBERTS – Ms. Roberts history of being an educator, business owner, and State of Missouri licensing board member in her profession make her an outstanding candidate for the Raytown School Board. Her quick mind and pleasant nature is an added bonus.

TERRY E. LANDERS – The good work Mr. Landers has done for this community would fill a book. Teaching, coaching, volunteering for kids and for seniors, Raytown Arts Council, Raytown Retired Teachers and School Personnel Association, Raytown PTA Council, and the Raytown Rotary Club, Raytown Parks Board, Shepherd Center Board, and Raytown Kiwanis are a few ways Terry has served.

Mr. Landers is a stable force on the School Board, whose knowledge of the Boards history and ability to get people to work together are a great asset.

If you need to know more about Mr. Landers, click HERE to see him being presented with the Truman Heartland Man of the Year Award.

The Cardinals won their third post-season game against Center by a score of 64 to 56 this Tuesday. The game took place at Blue Springs South and advances South in the Missouri Class 4 boys sectionals. Next up for the Cardinals is Kearney on Saturday at 1:00 pm in the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence.

Leading scorer for the Cardinals was Senior Alex Herndon with 20 points.

Truly South has turned into a Cinderella team in the post season after a less than exciting regular season.

Raytown’s Jeremi Barnes is competing in the NAIA Indoor National Championships in Johnson City, Tenn today. His event is scheduled for 1:30 pm. Jeremi has the 8th longest Triple Jump distance in the nation. Jeremi is a Freshman at Avila University and is the son of Donna and Jerome Barnes of Raytown.

Part of a five-year plan to offer no cost, half-day pre-kindergarten (pre-k) services to all four-year-olds in Raytown, the Raytown C-2 School District is ex­panding its early childhood offerings beginning with the 2017-2018 school year.During the 2017-2018 school year, the District will offer 170 new pre-k seats in addition to the 68 Head Start and 17 fee-based seats currently offered at Herndon Preschool. The District will also continue to offer preschool Title 1 and Special Education services at New Trails Early Learning Center.

“The data shows that the longer our students stay with us, the better they perform both behaviorally and academically,” Superintendent Dr. Allan Markley said. “We now have the opportunity to start building a strong foundation at an earlier age. I am thankful for the community’s support, which gave us the courage to move forward with our plan.”

Pre-registration is open from February 3 through February 17. Children must be four years old on or before July 31, 2017 to be eligible for one of the 170 pre-k seats.

“By the start of the next school year, our early childhood program will offer over 500 preschool seats. Though some of our programs cater to students age 3-5, next year’s expansion will cover a significant part of our goal to offer pre-kindergarten services to every four-year-old in our attendance area, which we estimate to be around 630 prospective students in a given year,” Dr. Markley said.

In addition to the new seats, the District will also provide transportation for all of its early childhood programs.

Families with students who are currently enrolled in Herndon Preschool or New Trails Early Learning Center, who will be returning for the 2017-2018 school year, do not need to pre-register for placement. Current early childhood families will receive information regarding enrollment from their school’s principal.

The tree lighting event started off with a short speech From our Mayor.

Followed by Christmas songs performed by Raytown Students

Santa arrived to help get the lights going, choosing a nice red Raytown Firetruck instead of a sleigh. Santa then proceeded down the street to listen to a huge line of children wanting to make a few requests. Along the way he passed the tractor pulling the hayride. After the children have a talk with Santa, Frosty was waiting with a basket of candy.

The Raytown Community Band Flutes entertained the crowd gathered to talk to Santa.

The Raytown High School, Bluejay Pride, and the Raytown South High School, Southern Regiment, marching bands recently wrapped up successful marching seasons.

This season, the Raytown High School, Bluejay Pride, performed a show titled, “The Pursuit of Happiness.” The Bluejay Pride placed first in their division at the Park Hill District Marching Festival and earned second place in their division at the Missouri Western Tournament of Champions. The band also earned third place in their division at the Smith-Cotton Marching Festival and received third place in their division at the Trenton Marching Festival.

The Raytown South High School, Southern Regiment, performed a show titled, “Reflections of Fame” arranged by 1987 Raytown South graduate, Steve Vento. This season, Southern Regiment placed first in their division and earned the outstanding performance recognition at the Sedalia Marching Band Competition. The band competed in finals for the second year in a row, earned second place, and earned the outstanding percussion award at the Festival of Champions at the University of Central Missouri. Southern Regiment earned third place in their division with an excellent performance rating at the Heart of America Marching Festival at the University of Kansas. The band also competed at the Golden Regiment Marching Band Invitational at Blue Springs High School and the Lee’s Summit North Marching Festival.

The Raytown High School Bluejay Pride Marching Band is under the direction of Joseph Hill. The Raytown South High School Southern Regiment Marching Band is under the direction of Brandon Hord.

Little Blue Elementary School fourth grade teacher Madeline Burkemper has been nominated for the 2016-17 national LifeChanger of the Year Award.

Sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation, the national LifeChanger of the Year program recognizes and rewards the very best K-12 public and private school educators and employees across the United States who are making a difference in the lives of students by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership.

Burkemper was nominated by a colleague, Alex Tompkins. She has only been teaching at Little Blue for two years, but she has already made an incredible impact, according to Tompkins.

“In the five years I’ve been teaching, I’ve never met anyone like Ms. Burkemper,” said Tompkins. “The way she creates relationships with her students changes their lives for the better. She knows their likes, dislikes, fears, motivators and so much more. She has so much fun with them, but also holds them to high expectations. Therefore, she sees great results.”

According to Tompkins, Burkemper is known for being cautious about what she asks for so that her colleagues have extra money to spend. This past year, when several Little Blue teachers switched to a “flexible seating” arrangement in their classrooms, Burkemper went out of her way to write a grant so that her students could have some fun places to sit, without the school having to pay for it out of their budget. The grant was funded in less than 24 hours.

Each school year, the LifeChanger of the Year program receives hundreds of nominations from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For 2016-2017, there will be a total of 15 individual LifeChanger of the Year awards. In addition, a 16th prize, the “National Spirit Award,” is given to the school and nominee whose community demonstrates the most support for their nomination. Each winner will receive a cash award that is split between the individual winner and their school. The national Grand Prize award is $10,000. Winners are announced via surprise award ceremonies held at their schools. The top five winners will also be honored at a national awards ceremony in Naples, Florida. Winners will be announced in Spring 2017.

Winners will be chosen by a selection committee comprised of former winners and education professionals. Nominees must be school district employees. Award winners are selected based on the following criteria:

A proven ability to make a beneficial difference in the lives of students

An ability to positively add to the development of the school’s atmosphere

Is involved in leadership activities at the school and/or community level

A demonstrative record of excellent performance at the professional level

Raytown High’s graduation ceremonies WILL be held outdoors tonight. Despite the forecasted rain, the senior class desires to try to have the ceremonies outdoors. Leaving the ceremony outdoors rather than moving it inside allows as many families and friends as possible to see the graduates receive their diplomas. Moving the ceremony inside severely limits seating capacity for attendees. Staff will continue to watch the most updated forecasts, and there is a possibility that the ceremony could be slightly delayed if rain chances appear to be lessening somewhat later.

The Raytown School District is pleased to announce the hiring of administrators of for the 2016-2017 school year.

Amy Cusumano will serve as the Director of Special Education. Cusumano currently serves as the Assistant Director for Special Services and has been with the district for over 15 years. She received her Bachelor of Science in Special Education from Avila University and received her Master of Science in Educational Administration and Educational Specialist degree in Special Education Administration from the University of Missouri. Her duties will begin on July 1, 2016.

Kevin Easley will be the Director of Transportation. He will replace Director Dennis Robertson, who retired in February. Easley currently serves as an Assistant Principal at Raytown Middle School and has worked in the district for over 10 years. Prior to his role at Raytown Middle, Easley served as a science teacher at Raytown South Middle. He received his Bachelor of Science in Education and Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University. His duties begin on July 1, 2016.

Brooke Rohlfing will be the Assistant Director of Communications and Community Relations. Rohlfing currently serves as the Broadcast Production Specialist for the Park Hill School District. She received her Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from Missouri Southern State University and her Master of Arts in Communication from Missouri State University. Her duties will begin on June 1, 2016.

Raytown High School Senior Dominique Hampton placed first in the Class 4, 220 pound division of the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Wrestling Championships. Hampton made Bluejay history by becoming the school’s first state wrestling champion in 48 years.

“Domo did a spectacular job this weekend and this year,” Wrestling Coach Peter McDavitt said. “He maintained his composure in very close matches throughout the tournament. He is an intelligent young man who works just as hard in the classroom and demonstrates leadership and a positive attitude in everything he does. I couldn’t be more pleased with him and for him.”

On his way to the championship, Hampton, whose season record was 44-6, defeated Dylan Gillete from Francis Howell Central, Kyle Stein from Lee’s Summit West, Solomon Jackson from McCluer North, and Mason Costa from Lindbergh.

Hampton’s classmate, Raytown High Senior Braden Best, placed 5th in the 182-pound competition, and is the school’s first two-time state medalist in over 30 years. Going into the state competition, Best boasted a record of 50-4. He lost in the first round to Donovan Benetti of Nixa, wrestled back to defeat Timothy Ghormley of Melville, defeated Dustin Jones of Lindbergh and Adrian Palmer of Lebanon, lost to Elias Vaoifi from Fort Osage, and defeated Trey Storey of Blue Springs for 5th place.

The Raytown School District is pleased to announce the hiring of Danielle Nixon as the Director of Communications and Community Relations. Nixon will begin her duties July 1, and replaces Cathy Allie, who will retire in June after 29 years in Raytown, the last nine in the director’s role.

Nixon earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Maryland, and was hired by the District in 2012 as the Assistant Director of Communications and Community Relations. In addition to her communications duties, she serves as the Community Education Coordinator and Record Retention Team Lead.

“I came to Raytown with the hope and desire to become a part of and grow with the district and the community at large,” Nixon said. “I’m excited for the opportunity ahead, and I look forward to continuing to serve our staff, families, and patrons.”

Before coming to Raytown, Nixon served as a Communications Specialist for a digital forensic contractor in Elkridge, Maryland. Additionally, she worked on social media and internal communications projects for the National Archives and Records Administration.

The Raytown South vs. Grandview boys junior varsity basketball game scheduled for Friday, February 19 has been cancelled. The varsity contest will now begin at 4:30 at South High. Students will need a Grandview or Raytown South current ID to be admitted

You Cain’t Say No to Oklahoma!

“There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow,” sings Curly as the audience gets their first glimpse of Oklahoma!, the first musical of the 2015-2016 school year produced by the Raytown High School Theatre and Music Departments, running Nov. 19-21. Oklahoma! is a lively and hilarious musical that premiered on Broadway on March 31, 1943, and has won numerous awards, including the Olivier awards for Outstanding Musical Production, Best Set Design, and Best Theatre Choreographer.

The show is set in early 1900’s Oklahoma, before it was made the 46th member of the Union, and follows the story of Laurey, Curly, and their friends as the Box Social approaches. Featuring songs such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” “Kansas City,” “Cain’t Say No,” “Out of My Dreams,” and “Oklahoma!,” this show is full of musical numbers to remember.

The main cast includes Zach Kujath as Curly McLain, Emma Drace as Laurey Williams, Julianna McCarroll as Aunt Eller, Caleb McCarroll as Jud Fry, Raynesha Green as Ado Annie, Braden Best as Will Parker, Israel Hanke as Ali Hakim, and Richard Jones as Andrew Carnes.

The Raytown High School theatre, under the direction of Mrs. Katie Kolster, continues its season with The Odd Couple showing Feb. 25-27, 2016, and Hairspray, April 14-16, 2016. Tickets are available for purchase at the box office before and after school, or before the performance. To receive the advanced rate, one may also email Kathleen.kolster@raytownschools.org to reserve.

Students: $5. General Admission: $7 in advance/reserved, $8 at the door.

The Royals trailed until in the 9th inning KC was able to tie the score 2 to 2 and then finish the 9th without the Mets scoring. The game continued in extra innings until at the top of the 12th inning the Royals put 5 more runs on the scoreboard and finished the bottom of the inning by holding the Mets from adding any runs. It was a nail biting game until the 9th. To say that this team never gives up is an understatement.